The image of a woman painting her nails has often been used in films, glossy magazines et al to denote a glamourous, sexy vamp readying herself to trap a man. Often pictured in a boudoir, or atop a satin bed sheet draped in a froth of lace, ostrich feathers and silk (as, you know, all women are), it is a scene that crumbles at the edges somewhat when held up to the cold hard light of Reality.

The awful truth, dear readers, is that I am generally not draped in ostrich feathers or languorously reclining on a satin-topped bed while I paint my nails. No. Generally I am stuffing a piece of toast into my mouth as I attempt to find my door keys and find a matching shoe to the one I’m desperately hobbling around the room in as I try to get ready for work/to go out, all the while slathering a hasty coat of whatever nail varnish was nearest to me at the time I so wisely decided that NOW would be a great time to re-paint my nails. I never learn.

Step forward my saviour…

#2 Seche Vite Fast Dry Top Coat. Another must have – yes, it’s more costly than many top coats you can get in supermarkets and such like, but I’ve tried practically all of those and found them lacklustre in almost every respect. I’d seen this reviewed in so many magazines and it’s won oodles of awards, but still I resisted, because to tell the truth, it’s just not that exciting, is it?

A fabulous lipstick or a divine smelling perfume I can work myself into a lather for, but a clear nail varnish? Nah. Until my fiancé tired of hearing me withering on about it and (bless his heart) purchased a bottle for me to put in my Christmas stocking. The first thing to note is how incredibly thick and gloopy it is – completely different to anything else I’d tried. They suggest you put it on top of nail varnish that’s still wet – another point of difference – and when they say it dries fast, my god do they mean it!

From application, it’s sealed and dry to the touch in well under a minute. It makes your colour pop like nothing else and is fantastic at protecting nail art/textured effects. If there were a top coat that did the same job at half the price, I’d buy it, but there isn’t (unless you tell me otherwise), so I use this.

My fiancé loves it because it means he doesn’t have to wait (quite) as long for me to get ready & I’m far less likely to scream “Oh for GOD’S SAKE, now I’ll have to do them all AGAIN!” as I think my nails are dry but discover they aren’t quite, as I pull my hand from my bag/pocket/brushing my hair to find them all smudged. He’d probably buy me another bottle if it were three times the cost, to be honest. It’s a good investment.